CATALONIA
Puigdemont to explain the Catalan Referendum in the European Parliament
CNA
Barcelona (CNA).- The Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, the Vice
President and Minister of Economy, Oriol Junqueras, and the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, will visit Brussels on January 24th to
defend the Government plans to hold an independence referendum in 2017,
the CNA has learnt. Puigdemont and his two more senior ministers, both
of them former MEPs, will defend in the European Parliament that
Catalonia is seeking an agreement with the Spanish government to hold a
legally binding referendum. However, they will point out that Madrid has
repeatedly ruled out any discussion on the issue, arguing that a vote
on independence is legally impossible. The Catalan President, the Vice
President and the Foreign Affairs Minister will stress that Catalonia
will celebrate the referendum even if Spain continues to refuse engaging
in a negotiation.
